Piano lighting device



y 1931- c. E. CAMERON, JR 1,805,973

PIANO LIGHTING DEVICE Filed May 19, 1930 a :ENToR BY 9 1 1 ATTORNEYS Patented May 19, 1931 UNITED STATES Parser ,EQFFI'CE' CHARLES EWEN CAMERON, JR., OF EAST ORANGE, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO LAUTER- HUIVIANA (10., ACORZPORATION NEVi JERSEY PIANO nierrrrlve DEVICE Application filed May 19,

This invention relates in general to a de-' vice for illuminating music sheets on the music support or rack of a piano and also for llluminating the piano keybord One object of the invention is to provlde a o direct light rays upon the music support, and I if desired, also upon the'keyboard.

Another object is to provide in such devices novel and improved means for automatically closing and opening the electric circuit through the lamp upon movement of the device into operative and inoperative positions res ectively. z

7 ther objects are to provide a piano lighting device which can be installed upon either,

a grand piano or-an upright piano; to provide a plano llght comprislng a. lamp supporting bracket slidably mounted in the piano case beneath and forwardly of the music support, and movable through anopenlng 1n the piano case when not in use so as to beprotected from lnjuryand concealed fromview; to provide a device of this character wherein means is provlded on said lamp supporting bracket for serving both as a reflector for directing lightto the music support and keyboard and as a cover for closing said opening; to provide such a device constructed'and located so as to direct light rays upon both the music support and the keyboard; and to obtain other advantages and resultsas will be brought out by the following description.

Referring to the accompanying drawings in which corresponding and like parts are designated throughout the several views by the same reference characters: I

, Figure 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of a grand piano showing a pianolighting device embodying my invention applied thereto. Figure 2 is a fragmentary side elevation of an upright piano having a lighting device embodying my invention applied thereto, portions being brokenaway and shown 1n sec- 1930; Serial No. 452,526.-

tion for clearness in illustration and the light mg device bemg 1n operative position.

Flgure 3 1s a slmilar view showing the lighting device from a position at 180 degrees to that shown in Figure 2.

Figures 4 and 5 are views similar to Figure 3 illustrating the llghting device from a position at 180 degrees to that shown in Fig+ urcs 2 and 3, and

Figure 6 is a longitudinal vertical sectional vlew on the line 66 of'Figure 4.

Specifically describing the illustrated em bodiment of the invention, the lighting device is constructed to be applied to either a grand piano or an upright piano, and in elther case the lighting device is arranged forwardly of and below the usual music sup- 7 port or rack A and above the keyboard B.- The piano case is formed with an opening or recess 1 substantially central of the width of the piano adjacent the bottom of the vmusic support A and above the keyboard B.

'A lamp supporting bracket 2 is slidably mounted on the piano case to move through said opening, said: bracket being shown as in the form of a flat piece of material 3, such as wood, having a longitudinal groove 4 in each side which receives a guide rib 5 forming a partof a support 6 secured to a wall. of the piano case inside of the opening 1. -At the outer end of the bracket 2 is formed an opening or slot 7 within which is arranged an electric lamp 8 mounted in a socket 9 which is secured to the bracket at one end of the opening 7 At the outer extremity of the bracket is mounted a combined light reflector and cover forthe opening 1. This reflector and cover is shown as comprising two sides 10 disposed at substantially right angles to each other, or at an angle corresponding to the angle formed by the meeting of the vertical wall 'C of the, piano case above the keyboard and the horizontal wall D of the piano case below the music sup-Q port; one side being substantially parallel with the vertical wall C and the other being disposed substantially parallel to the horizontal wall D, said sides being located with a rays from the lamp are directed upon both the keyboard B and the music sheets upon the support A, as shown in Figure 2. When the bracket is slid inwardly of the opening 1, the sides 10 of the reflector and cover contact respectively with the walls C and- D of the piano case so as to close and conceal the opening 1, as clearly shown inFigure 3 of the drawings. Also, the reflector and cover shield the eyes of the player from the direct rays of the light from the lamp. The reflector and cover serve as a stop to limit movement of the bracket 2 into the piano case, and for the purpose of limiting move ment of the bracket outwardly into operative position, the bracket may be formed with a lug 11 toengage a suitable abutment upon the piano case. i

In accordance with the invention this abutment is providedby the operating lever 12 of an electric switch 13 of known construction which is connected in circuit in known manner with the lamp 8, said lug 11 engaging the switch lever 12 and operating it to close the switch as the bracket 2 is pulled outwardly into operative position so that the lamp 8 is lighted automatically by movement ofthe bracket outwardly of the piano case. The switch may be operated into open position to break the circuit through the lamp 8 by a shoulder 14: on the bracket which en gages the switch lever 12 and operates it into switch opening position as shown in Figure 5 when the bracket 2 is pushed into its inoperative position. It should be understood that-any suitable type of electric switch may be utilized, which has an operating device that can be engaged by projections or lugs on the bracket in the manner described, or otherwise operated by movement of the bracket.

Preferably. as shown on the drawings the bracket 2 is slidably mounted in an inclined relation to the vertical and horizontal, so that the lamp 8 will be located when it is in op'erlative position in substantially the plane of or above the horizontal wall D of the, piano,

whereby the vertical wall C does not obstruct the light rays passing from the lamp to the music support.

From the foregoing it will be observed that the lamp and its supportrare' entirely concealed from view and protected from injury when out of use, and can be easily and quickly placed into operative or inoperative positions by a simple pull or push respectively. The device is pleasing in appearance at all times and provides eflective illumina tion for both the music sheets and the keyboard. Also the bracket may be adjusted in and out of the recess 1 to vary the extent of illumination.

Instead of the automatically operated switch, I may use a manually operated switch independent of the movement of the bracket.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

1. The combination of a piano including a case having a music support, a keyboard, a vertical wall extending upwardly from said keyboard and a horizontal wall meeting said vertical wall at approximately right angles, and extending toward said music support,

said case having a recess opening outwardly through both said vertical wall and said horizontal wall, a lamp supporting bracket mounted on said case tomove into and out of said recess, a lamp on said'bracket, and a combine'dreflector and cover on said bracket'having a vertical wall and a horizontal Wall at approximately right angles to each other to direct light rays from said lamp to said music support'and said keyboard respective ly when said bracket is moved out of said recess and to contact with and form substantial continuations of said vertical and horizontal walls of said case respectively to close said recess when the bracket is moved thereinto.

2. The combination of a piano including a case having a music support, akeyboard,

a vertical wall extending upwardly from said keyboard and a horizontal wall meeting said vertical wall and extending toward said music support, said case having an outwardly "openingrecess at the juncture of said vertical and horizontal walls, a lamp'supporting bracket, guide means on said case with-v in said recess to slidably mount said bracket for movement into and out of said recess, a lamp on saidbraoket, and a combined reflect-or andcover on sai'db'racket having vertical and horizontalwalls to direct light from said lamp tosaid music support and said key v board respectively whensaid bracket is slid outwardly from saidrecess and to contact-re spectively with said vertical and horizontal walls of said case and close said recess when the bracket is slid thereinto, said guide means being inclined so that when said bracket is slid outwardly of saidrecess said lamp is disposed above or substantially in the plane of said horizontal wall whereby passage of light to said music support is unobstructed by said vertical wall;

3. The combination set forth in claim 1 wherein said lamp iselectrical, and with the addition of an electric switch connected in circuit therewith and having a switch lever for operating the switch, saidbracket' having means spaced abutments one at each side of said switch lever to cooperate with the switch lever for opening and closing the switch as said bracket is moved out of and into said recess respectively.

4. The combination of a piano including a case having a music support, a keyboard, a

vertical wall extending upwardly from said keyboard and a horizontal wall meeting said vertical wall and extending toward said music support, said case having an outwardly opening recess at the juncture of said vertical and horizontal walls, a lamp supporting bracket, guide means on said case within said recess to slidably mount said bracket for movement into and out of said recess, a lamp on said bracket, and a combined reflector and cover on said bracket having vertical and horizontal walls to direct light rays from said lamp to both said music support and said keyboard respectively when said 5 bracket is slid outwardly from said recess and to contact respectively with said vertical and horizontal walls of said case and close said recess when the bracket is slid thereinto.

CHARLES EWEN CAMERON, JR. 

